May 11, 2026

Big Blue Swim School Franchise Owners Select The Shoppes At Webb Gin For First Location In Gwinnett County

BALTIMORE, MD (May 11, 2026) – Big Blue Swim School franchise owners Woody Alpern and Gerry Benjamin have selected The Shoppes at Webb Gin in Snellville, Georgia as the site for the group’s first location in Gwinnett County and third in Georgia. Southeast Swim School Holdings, LLC executed a lease with Continental Realty Corporation (CRC) for 6,199 square feet of space at the 330,000 square foot lifestyle center located at 1350 Scenic Highway South and expect to open the facility in early 2027. CRC Senior Leasing Associate Monica Johnson and Kelsi Holman represented the landlord and Reid Edelstein and Sarah Williams of Council Real Estate represented the tenant in this lease transaction. With this lease, The Shoppes at Webb Gin is now 90 percent leased.

“Big Blue Swim School brings a highly specialized, family-focused offering to The Shoppes at Webb Gin, further strengthening the center’s mix of service-oriented tenants,” said Kristina O’Keefe, Senior Vice President of Retail Operations at Continental Realty Corporation. “As demand for quality youth programming continues to grow, access to structured swim instruction supports water safety, confidence, and lifelong skills, while reinforcing our strategy of delivering essential services that drive consistent engagement at the property.”

Southeast Swim School Holdings is the largest franchisee of Big Blue Swim School and currently operates Georgia locations in Cumming, Roswell, and Sandy Plains. The group retains rights to approximately 40 locations throughout Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Big Blue Swim School has developed a comprehensive, swim curriculum centered around three key pillars of training: Breath Control, Balance & Buoyancy, and Propulsion. This innovative approach is designed to support each swimmer’s progression by instilling confidence and essential water skills. Its curriculum incorporates the EDMC (Explain, Demonstrate, Mimic, Compliment/Correct) instructional technique, ensuring that every skill taught is reinforced in a clear and relatable manner. Each swimmer will progress through a variety of skill checks at every level, ultimately working towards achieving specific goals within the “splash zone” for their respective levels. Lessons last 30- to 45-minutes.

Alpern and Bejamin opened their first Big Blue Swim School in 2024 and currently operate eight locations nationally, with five more under construction or planned for construction and opening prior to the end of this year. “There continues to be an emerging demand for swim instruction due to the importance placed by parents on water safety and water confidence,” Benjamin said. “Our model is highly differentiated because the curriculum was formulated by a former Olympic swimming competitor, combined with our use of full-time teaching instructors which receive extensive training in both the classroom and in the swimming pool. The program, which reinforces progress and emphasizes safety, is also adapted to adults and kids with special needs,” he added.

The entrepreneurs add that Big Blue Swim School is internet-resistant and competitors are few based on the steep capital requirements needed to install the swimming pool in an indoor area, which reaches depths of four feet. “After carefully surveying the market, The Shoppes at Webb Gin quickly emerged as our number one choice based on the strong surrounding demographics, the density of children under 12 years of age, the attractive household income, and the consistently strong consumer traffic.”

The Shoppes at Webb Gin is situated on approximately 48 acres on Scenic Highway South, the major freeway which connects Snellville to Lawrenceville, with more than 40,000 vehicles passing the site daily. The regional center is home to more than 60 tenants, including national retailers Sprouts Farmers Market, DSW, Sephora, Barnes & Noble, Bath & Body Works, H&M, Chico’s, Kay Jewelers, Loft, Victoria’s Secret and White House Black Market. Sit-down and fast-casual restaurants located at The Shoppes at Webb Gin include Bonefish Grill, Chili’s Grill & Bar, Longhorn Steakhouse, The Diner, Ted’s Montana Grill, and Your Pie.

Nearly 77,000 people reside within a three-mile radius of The Shoppes at Webb Gin, with average household incomes above $120,000. The trade area continues to attract more residents with an additional four to five percent population growth expected by 2030.

Founded in 1960, Continental Realty Corporation is a vertically integrated, privately held commercial real estate and investment company specializing in the acquisition and operation of retail and multifamily properties. CRC owns and manages a diversified, national portfolio of more than 10 million square feet of retail space and over 10,000 apartment homes across 16 states, with a total value of more than $5 billion. Guided by a commitment to excellence and long-term value creation, CRC combines market insight, disciplined investment strategies, and a people-first approach to deliver exceptional results for investors, residents, and communities.

For additional information, visit www.crcrealty.com.